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How do you know the Bible is the word of God?

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I would think God could do a much better job than that, and write a book that doesn't lead so many people to opposite beliefs and interpretation.

Agreed.

What are your reasons for believing the Bible is the word of God?

Well, you just gave my reason for believing that the Bible is NOT the word of any god. It's internal contradictions, unkept promises, failed prophecies, moral and intellectual errors attributed to a perfect god, and its errors in science and history tell you that the book was written by people unable to do better.

Said another way, I am asked to decide if the author(s) of that book also designed and created the universe. Just look at them both for your answer. Isn't that a bit like asking whether the author of misspelled graffiti sprayed onto the base of a bridge is the same as the designers and creators of the bridge?
 

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
True, I'm certainly not 'holy', but I think it's time to ask the tough questions. Tell me, David, why would an omniscient, omnipotent 'god' create an entire world where nearly every living creature must eat the other living creatures around him just to stay alive himself? We know now that there have been thousands of years of human evolution in which starvation threatened constantly. The Bible mentions this at 2 Kings 6:28, "This woman said to me, 'Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we'll eat my son." I'm puzzled why a god would create people but no food for them. And why would a god create two sexes, a male and a female, knowing that eventually 50% of marriages are in danger of failure? And such violence, why is the Christian God so violent, such as at 1 Sam 15:1-3, "The Israelites, on order from Yahweh, declared enemy peoples anathema: "Therefore go forth and strike Amalek, declare him anathema, along with all that he possesses; be without mercy for him, kill men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys."
It's not that I want to judge God, but I want to ask you, David, what evidence do you have that such a god really exists?

Have you not read Genesis thoroughly? God didn't originally create a world in which animals eat each other. Man's sin brought the curse of death upon the Earth.
 

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
Or we can accept that it was written by ancient, primitive savages who presumed to speak on god's behalf, and that the god portrayed in the bible is not the real god but rather some long dead goat herders' hand puppet.

Well did Paul prophecy of you:

1 Corinthians 1
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.


Indeed you do not nor can you understand that which was preached by the New Testament Apostles. Your response does not surprise me at all. You think in the flesh and dwell in the flesh and you cannot understand or relate with those who dwell in the Spirit, for the two at odds with one another.
 

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
And this right here is what I hate most about religion. "Suspend your morality and critical thinking to to what this book says"? That's the start of evil, IMO.

No, but rather you lack faith. We are to surrender our will to God and not some book. The book teaches us about God.
 

Grandliseur

Well-Known Member
So I try to read some of the Bible every day. Today I opened up to
2 Kings 2
23 Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young lads came out from the city and mocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!” 24 When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

That just seems ridiculous to me. 42 children lose their lives to angry bears for calling somebody bald head. Even if Elisha prayed for that to happen, why would God honor such a disgusting prayer?

I wish that was the only ridiculous verse in scripture, but there are many... I'm really struggling to maintain faith that scripture is the word of God.

I would think God could do a much better job than that, and write a book that doesn't lead so many people to opposite beliefs and interpretation.

What are your reasons for believing the Bible is the word of God?

I'm finding it is a book that simply goes against my conscience.
You really think that this prophet of Israel, a man known in all Israel, wasn't recognized by these teenagers?!

In this they disrespected not only the man, but God whom he represented. Why do you think God made this happen? Because, just because a man, even a prophet, wants something to happen, it doesn't unless it has God's approval.

Just like today, then also people showed disrespect for God and many didn't think Him capable of doing things though they had heard about it - after all, they had never personally been witness to God doing anything, that is, until the day they died. Many people who disrespect God presently shall also die, but not of old age, though some still shall.
 

corynski

Reality First!
Premium Member
Have you not read Genesis thoroughly? God didn't originally create a world in which animals eat each other. Man's sin brought the curse of death upon the Earth.
Well, I thought I had read Genesis a couple of times thoroughly. You're saying there was no death before man's 'sin'? How do you reconcile that idea with the fact that animals had been eating each other for thousands of years before Genesis was written?
 

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
God swears to himself (Genesis 22:16)

if that's real that is amazing. "me dammit"

Then it's off to TMIFriday's.

his kid who is also in some circles himself. sacrificed to himself. to show humanity he loves him. and to save humanity from himself from what he is going to do to them for what they did even though he knew they were going to do it anyway and didn't stop them?"

I does strain credulity, doesn't it?

23WlWuC.png
 

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
Well, I thought I had read Genesis a couple of times thoroughly. You're saying there was no death before man's 'sin'? How do you reconcile that idea with the fact that animals had been eating each other for thousands of years before Genesis was written?

If you read Genesis at face value and leave all of your bias and everything you've been taught behind you will begin to understand it. There was nothing before Genesis 1:1 except God. How could there be thousands of years before Man sinned? That isn't implied anywhere in Genesis 1-3.
 

It Aint Necessarily So

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Have you not read Genesis thoroughly? God didn't originally create a world in which animals eat each other. Man's sin brought the curse of death upon the Earth.

That compounds the sin. Were you thinking that that justified it?

It adds to the immorality of having terrified antelopes being hunted down and impaled by tooth and claw the immorality of allowing it because a naive girl still still lacking the knowledge of good and evil took a bite from an apple dangled before her at the behest of a master demon unleashed upon the earth and given unfettered access to her by the god who dangled the apple before her and knew in advance what the outcome would be.

Your response does not surprise me at all. You think in the flesh and dwell in the flesh and you cannot understand or relate with those who dwell in the Spirit, for the two at odds with one another.

No, we think with reason applied to evidence, and cannot understand or relate to those who believe by faith.
 

Kenny

Face to face with my Father
Premium Member
And this right here is what I hate most about religion. "Suspend your morality and critical thinking to to what this book says"? That's the start of evil, IMO.

Not at all... I think the difference is between critical thinking and just being critical.
 

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
That compounds the sin. Were you thinking that that justified it?

It adds to the immorality of having terrified antelopes being hunted down and impaled by tooth and claw the immorality of allowing it because a naive girl still still lacking the knowledge of good and evil took a bite from an apple dangled before her at the behest of a master demon unleashed upon the earth and given unfettered access to her by the god who dangled the apple before her and knew in advance what the outcome would be.



No, we think with reason applied to evidence, and cannot understand or relate to those who believe by faith.

Like I said, the lack of faith results in wrong thinking and failure to understand.

That's pretty much what I said. In the end we'll see who's right.
 

corynski

Reality First!
Premium Member
If you read Genesis at face value and leave all of your bias and everything you've been taught behind you will begin to understand it. There was nothing before Genesis 1:1 except God. How could there be thousands of years before Man sinned? That isn't implied anywhere in Genesis 1-3.

DavidFirth said " There was nothing before Genesis 1:1 except God.".

David, I confess I have never heard anyone speak with the conviction that you do regarding the authenticity of the Bible, unfortunately, as my best judgement suggests it is largely fiction and the musings of the human imagination. There have been in existence thousands of religions and beliefs and gods and goddesses before the arrival of the Judeo-Christian Yahweh, but the findings of archaeology and anthropology apparently do not seem valid to you.
"There are many people destined to reason badly; others to not reason at all; others to persecute those who do reason." -- Voltaire
 

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
DavidFirth said " There was nothing before Genesis 1:1 except God.".

David, I confess I have never heard anyone speak with the conviction that you do regarding the authenticity of the Bible, unfortunately, as my best judgement suggests it is largely fiction and the musings of the human imagination. There have been in existence thousands of religions and beliefs and gods and goddesses before the arrival of the Judeo-Christian Yahweh, but the findings of archaeology and anthropology apparently do not seem valid to you.
"There are many people destined to reason badly; others to not reason at all; others to persecute those who do reason." -- Voltaire

It does not matter what religion came first. It does matter as to who is right and who is wrong.

The findings of secular archaeology and anthropology are all interpreted based on assumptions and are not facts.

The wisdom of men is built on sand. The word of God never changes and is built on solid rock.
 

DavidFirth

Well-Known Member
DavidFirth said " There was nothing before Genesis 1:1 except God.".

David, I confess I have never heard anyone speak with the conviction that you do regarding the authenticity of the Bible, unfortunately, as my best judgement suggests it is largely fiction and the musings of the human imagination. There have been in existence thousands of religions and beliefs and gods and goddesses before the arrival of the Judeo-Christian Yahweh, but the findings of archaeology and anthropology apparently do not seem valid to you.
"There are many people destined to reason badly; others to not reason at all; others to persecute those who do reason." -- Voltaire

And thank you for complimenting my faith. I assure you that although I cannot prove it to you the Spirit confirms the truth to the believer. I am confident in God and His word because the truth has been revealed to me spiritually. And I will praise His name forever because He saved the sinner that I am.
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
No, but rather you lack faith. We are to surrender our will to God and not some book. The book teaches us about God.
My issue is with setting aside your critical thinking and moral sense. What you set it aside for is secondary.

What you're basically saying is that if something strikes you as morally wrong, you're still willing to do it if someone convinces you that it's God's will. Again: this seems like a recipe for evil.
 

leibowde84

Veteran Member
The Bible wasn't written for your conscience. It was written by the will of God. Just as Job did, we have to accept God's will even when we disagree with it. We have to understand that God is holy and determines righteousness and that we do not. We are not holy and have no good reason to think we are in a position to judge God and His word.
How does this answer the question, "how do you know the bible is the word of god"? Can you answer it? Or, are you unable to?
 
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